Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125990
Close finishes at Ascot The pass that stole the show. By Bob F. Read GARDENA, CAL. , MAY 16 The WInne r 0 f the Expert Re gional AMA final w as agam decided at th e fin ish line for the second week In a row. Two weeks o ago it was Kenn y Ro be rt s tak ing the lead for the second lim e in t he fina l few ya rds t o win. T his time it was ro okie Watt Fost er try ing for t he lea d fo r 10 la ps an d fi nally getting it ju st ya rds away from th e chec ker . . Alex Jorgensen jumped t o the lead at the st art and was holdin g point leader J ohn Allison through the first tw o an d a half laps in a close wheel t o wh eel affai r. Coming o u t of t he far turn o n the th ird lap Eddie Wirth lost his hold on his new Harley an d we nt do wn . Rick Hoc king, who was making an ea rly lap b id a ft e r st artin g in the second ro w, barr eled u p and over the top . The gas tanks o n both machines ignite d and two separa te ' mach in es wer e go ing up in fla mes until so me qu ic k work with the ex t ingu ishe rs to o k place . Wirth wa lke d a away and later Hocking w· s up and limping off with a cu t knee. Ho c kin g's machine took the worst b ut both ma chines were roll ed t o t he pits. On th e single file re-start J orgensen was off to a slow thi rd into t he tu m . Winners and spoils, L. to R. Foster, McWhorter, and a pensive Mead. 8 Allison was up front with upstart John Sperry in seco nd and Walt Foster right be hin d Jorgy . Fost er, who had earlier recorded th e fastest Expert time trial, zo o med by both J orgy and Sperry on lap five and was righ t with Alliso n at t he end of t he lap . Fro m t he n on it was a dogfight with Alliso n trying to ho ld o n for his third victory o f th e year. But Fos ter ke pt trying o n both the inside and th e outside . The lead chan ged fo ur t ime s in the fin al two laps but it was Allison leading he ading thro ugh th e final tum. But Allison is n ot ed fo r ridin g th e o utside rathe r than down low. Comin g o ut o f th e final tu m the green clad rider sta rt ed down the middle with Fos te r pushi n g h is fro n t wh eel t o th e inside . Bo th rid ers float ed towar ds t he wall wit h Foster pulling even and the n pull ing o ut the win just y ards away fro m the fin ish lin e. Jorgensen was bac k down th e track in a distan t third wi th . Spe rry running his best of the seaso n t o take fo urth. Michigan 's Corky Keener made his first ap pearance of the year but was far o ff th e p ace th at ca rried him to an Ascot vic tory last season . Co rky go t off to slo w st arts both times in the final and fin all y moved up for fifth in t he closing laps. Dian e Cox , Salem , Or egon, be came th e first girl Expert to ever co m pete in a hal f-m ile, Diane was t he last q ua lifier to mak e the program with a 24 :2 5 tim e trial. In th e Semi she forced two restarts by throwing up her hand j ust prior to th e drop of th e gre en flag. It finally found six other riders back on th e penalty lin e when th e race was finally sta rt ed. Midway in th e race Diane hi t th e hay bales on the South tum, running next to last, ahead of Shorty Seaboume. She was not hurt and was on her wa y to San Jose to become t he firs t girl entrant for a National m ile. River side's smooth Dan McWhorter was also fast as he turned in the fastest J unior ti me t rial of the year, won his heat race with t he fastest yellow plate five laps and then came back to defea t arch rival, Steve Eklund in the 10 lap fin al. McWhorter came from th ird place on the opening lap of the Main. He got by Doug Garrison on the second lap and then took the lead aw ay from Eklund o n the fifth round. Th e win also gave him the point lead over Eklun d for the first time th is season. In th e Novi ce final , four riders went at it hammer and tong most of the way with th ree riding as one as they crossed the finish line. Vince Mead, Te d Davidson, Ricky Graham and Steve Fo rtune made the Friday finale a race that will lo ng be remembered. Fo r t he record, Fo rt une led the first fo ur la ps, Mead the last fo ur. But in between it was a pure do gfight fro m st art t o finish with the lead changing six times and at least three riders never more than one bike len gth apart th e entire distance. Grah am was sp ectacular and ragged, as usual. Fortune again showed a be tter race t han the we ek be fo re . Mead and Davi dson are ab o ut as eve nly mat ched as th ey come o n th e ligh t weigh ts. Mead finally pulled it o ut with Fo rt une inc hes back and Davidson run nin g with his fr o n t wh eel right be tween t he two ba ck wh eels o f th e o t hers. Grah am d ro p ped off the pace slightly in the late laps but was fo urth , all by him sel f. It may be so me tim e before ano the r No vice Main lik e th is one co m es a lo ng . Th e next Pro show at Ascot co me s up o n Sa turday night, May 3 1 in th e fo rm of a IT Steeplechase. 11, e nex t half-mile? Friday nigh t, J uly 25th, t he • night before the Natio nal IT. Results in Resu lts Sec tio n. Th ree of the four wh o dom inated No vice Main : Gr ah am, Mea d, Fortune.